Bulletproof
by FreindlyFire
Summary: Bella came to Chicago to start a new life, in the hope of forgetting the one man who stole and broke her heart. A year after her future looks a bit brighter and she has finally started to heal. But what will she do when hes walking back into her life?
1. Chapter 1

This is my very first fanfic I dare to lay out there in the capable hands of you lovely readers, and as such it is my baby. And as every mother I'm proud of it, even if it is considered to be a butt ugly baby. So if you review, and you think my story sucks then be gentle and constructive in your criticism. If you love it then bring on the love;)

I have no beta at the moment, so this story is only edited by me, but if one volunteers I will send that beta lots of kisses, and in some cases the 50 himself. Well that caught your attention dident it;)

Now onto the story...

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things twilight. I own a dirty mind and an addiction to Twilight and HHH.

Chapter 1: First sight in a year

I hadn't seen him for a year, a whole damn year. And I had hoped and prayed that I would never, ever see him again, because just the sight of him would make the emotional scars on my heart burst wide open again.

One should think that a year should be sufficient enough for me to lick my wounds and get on with my life, but as I now stood paralyzed on the pavement outside my favorite club, I knew it wasn't. And what scared the shit out of me was that I didn't know how long it would take for me to recover. Maybe it would take years and I didn't want to loose some of the best years of my youth, crying over a guy who used me and then broke my hart into a million tiny pieces.

No, this prick didn't deserve a single teardrop, and why should I suffer when he was the one that did all the damage? I could feel my anger reemerge, and taking over for the pain that have had an iron grip around my heart, since the moment I saw him again.

But I had promised my self that if this would ever happen, if he would reappear in my now stabile life, I would be as bulletproof to his advances as humanly possible. Though he had hurt me more than any man ever had the right to, my history with him also meant that I knew him, and knew him well. I knew his tricks, the ways he worked and what lengths he would go to, to get what he desired.

I once thought that I was the object of his desire, but I had soon learned, that the only thing this beautiful and distant man wanted was cash, - cold hard cash and power. And he always got what he wanted. So in the end I was left as the trusting and naive fool got dishonored and fired from my beloved job and he got his promotion and his million dollar raise. Fair, no?

Fucking bastard!

At first I had been bewitched by his handsome appearance, brilliant humor and charm, but later it was the man behind the mask that held my interest. I couldn't help wonder if there was more to him than first reached the eye. But he had always held me at arms length emotionally, and though I got a few glimpses of the real man, he newer gave too much away. He insisted on having fun and live in the moment, so I only learned too late what kind of man he really was, - a skillful manipulator.

But seeing a glimpse of him on the street of Chicago was nothing I had ever expected. Especially not after the way things had ended. I had traveled far and come a long way from the girl I was then, to the woman I was now, and I didn't think of him as a part of my new life. But now he invaded my private space with just being here, in my city, in my small world. And it made me mad as hell.

Me and my girls, - Rosalie and Alice, had gone to Club 81 to celebrate my promotion to first assistant to Angela, the editor in chief of the new lifestyle magazine, Estelle. I had been high on life, and thought that I finally was free of him and the ties of my family and felt like I didn't had a care in the world. And he of course had to show up, on the first evening in a year, where I was beginning to feel alive again.

I had only got a small glimpse of him. But it was without any doubt Edward. Not many men had his height, handsome features or remarkably copper hair, which always pointed every damn way it wanted. I hadn't got eye contact with him though, thank god. He was taking to a stunning blonde who was standing with her back to me, showing off her perfectly styled hair and designer dress, and his face was naturally turned my way. A moment after, the blonde dropped the cigarette she had been smoking, on the pavement, and they went into the restaurant they had been standing in front. They seemed intimate in a way I couldn't quite describe, but it was clear to me that they had something going on. And as much as I really wished, that I didn't feel a thing for this prick, my heart didn't agree.

After they went into the restaurant, my whole body was suddenly alert. I snapped out of my paralyzed state and my intake of breath increased rapidly and I felt overheated and feverish. The anger that had run trough my veins disappeared and the pain was back on full volume. Though I tried to calm the fuck down, my body had other plans, and I was on the edge of fainting when my friends joined me on the street, a few moments after. They knew me well enough to know that something was really wrong, and when they took a look at my ghost white face, they supported me to the nearest stairwell, where I took a seat and put my head in between my unstable legs.

"Are you ok?" Alice asked a moment after "What happened?"

I lifted a hand as to signal that I needed a moment to get my act together. I didn't want to faint in the middle of our conversation.

I lifted my head a bit, when the dizziness had almost disappeared and took a look at my surroundings. We were in the alleyway next to the club, not a nice one, but again this was Chicago, you couldn't quite expect rosebushes and pear trees. Rosalie and Alice stood towering over me. Rosalie looked at me puzzled, as she was silently asking what the fuck was going on.

Alice looked at me with concern; she had always been the most caring of the tree of us. At first look you would assume that she was just another fashion fixated beauty queen, whose only concern was not to get her nails ruined. But she had soon proved to be so much more. Countless of times, she had helped me trough crisis after crisis on the job and trough the days I only wanted to stay in bed and cry. I owed her more than I could ever repay her. She was a true and loyal friend.

I knew they was waiting for an answer, but honestly all I wanted right now was to go home and sleep, not to explain the whole misery of my past with Edward again. But I had to be as honest as I could, they was my best friends and only wanted to help.

I took a deep cleansing breath and began to explain.

"I just saw Edward"

"Edward? Who?" Rosalie asked still puzzled

Alice remembered him right away though

"Edward? As in the bastard from New York, who used you to get a promotion and then got you fired and dishonored in the process?"

"The very same" I confirmed

"Fuck" Alice said

"Yeah fuck indeed" I agreed

"Edward, the guy you been crying over all this time?" Rosalie asked and I nodded in defeat.

"If I was you, I would walk over to him and squeeze his balls till they pop. That would serve him right, that asshole."

"Rosalie!" Alice gasped "That hardly helps Bella!"

"No but that make some good entertaining, don't you think Bells" she said and gave me a teasing wink, though I was sure she was quite serious, if it came down to it.

"And if you don't have the guts I can do it for you, with pleasure."She added.

I smiled inwardly and shook my head. Rosalie was always eager react physically when it came to the "scum of the male population" as she called them. No wonder her nick name in college had been "The Blonde Amazone", or so I had been told by Alice. Men had always a tendency to get both attracted to her psychical beauty, and scared off by her straightforwardness and independence.

"Wait! You said you saw him! Where exactly? Did you talk to him? What happened?" Alice asked abruptly while she held her right manicured hand out, as to stop Rosalie's babbling.

"I saw him outside restaurant Cassiopeia, just down the street from the club. No I didn't talk to him. He was talking to a blonde woman, who had her back turned to me, so his face was turning my way. They went into the restaurant together a few minutes after I first saw him. But I got a good look at him; it's him without any doubt." I felt defeated admitting this fact. I just wished there was the slightest chance I was wrong, but knew there was none.

"Why do you think he's here? To get you back? To apologize?"

"I don't know and I really don't care" I shrugged my shoulders and stood up on my wobbly feet, while I held on to the railing.

"Listen, as fun as it is to stand here and play 20 questions, all I really want to do now is to go home and toss my deadbeat body into bed. I know you mean well, but I'm just not into digging deeper into this mess right now. Ok?" I sent them the most begging and persuasive doggie eyes I could, and hoped they let me be for now.

"Ok. But if you need to talk when you wake up, you know where I am" Alice replied and gave me a concerned and serious look. She would probably call me at seven in the morning to check up, the freakish peppy morning person she is.

"Me too" Rosalie agreed and winked, apparently still waiting for me to take her up on her offer.

"Thank you girls, you don't know how much that means to me" I gave them a genuine warm smile and we got together for a big group hug

"Now, can we just get out of here? This ally is kind of creepy." I said as we broke off our hug

"Don't you mean smelly and dirty?" Alice asked and removed a invisible hair off her 2000 dollar designer jacket

I almost laughed out loud. I could just imagine how hard it was for her, to stay here in the ally more than two seconds. She was a fashionsta after all.

"Come on, let's go, the princess here wants to get back to her castle. She's been too long without her luxury items, and might get dirt on her shoes." Rosalie said with a voice tick of sarcasm, rolled her eyes and started dragging Alice towards the parking lot. Alice tried to protest, but Rosalie didn't want to hear any of it and kept on walking.

I shook my head and couldn't help laughing a bit louder than intended, but their banter was just too hilarious not to notice. I slowly followed them towards the car, while I quietly thanked god that I had such wonderful, funny friends, who could make my day better by just being their neurotic, warmhearted selves.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! **

**So here's the second chapter.. This chapter is mostly filling in on the background information, but I promise you will get Edward in all his glory soon enough.. **

**I can see alot of you are reading but not reviewing.. Please review and in turn I will give you a lot of dirtward I promise;) See isn't that a sweet deal?**

**Disclamer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things twilight. I own a pack of crackers and a dog named Hin. **

Chapter 2: Bitter sweet memories

An hour later I was lying in my bed and finding it hard to fall asleep. My thoughts kept circling around Edward. Alice's questions had been dead on, cause what reason exactly had he for being in Chicago? I seriously hoped I wouldn't run into him again, but my subconscious kept telling me that this was no coincidence. I told it to shut op and go to sleep. It was messing with my mind and I needed to think clearly.

I knew there could at least be a million other reasons for him to be in Chicago, than to meet me. He could be here on business, to visit old friends or relatives I didn't know of, or just simply taking a week off on vacation with little miss blonde and perfect. I felt my anger start to resurface again. It had clearly not taken him a lot of time, to find a replacement for me. Well go figures; there had been rumors that he was a player even before we started dating, so this shouldn't surprise me. She was probably the nr 11 in the line of stunning beauties that had visited his bed, since we parted. He had told me that he had a thing for brunettes such as my self, on our first date, but now he apparently preferred blondes.

When I first met him he seemed so honest and sincere, and I trusted my senses at that time. I knew somehow to see through people's façade and know if they could be trusted, so I thought I was safe. I guess growing up with a father that is a cop did that to you. He had told me which signs I should look at to know if people was lying to me, and told me how he sized people up. It helped me trough high school and college. But it didn't help me with Edward. He was out of my league apparently.

We met at a conference, and became friends instantly and lovers not long after. We both worked in the advertising business at that time. I worked as an assistant to a creative leader and was at the conference to take notes and support my boss with the needed information, amongst other things. Edward was the leader for brand building in his firm, and he represented the firm on the conference, because the theme of that year was brand building. Edward hoped to be promoted to the leader of Creative Development within the next year. The leader at time was rumored to retire within the year, but Edward hadn't had any luck to land a deal with a big company yet. That was usually what it took to be promoted. I should have known that his promotion was the only thing that mattered to him.

But it didn't take Edward a long time to make his move and make me fall head over heels for him. At that point my boss was negotiating a deal with a big company, a deal where I was taking the notes. The notes were saved on my laptop and a copy was sent to my boss computer after every meeting. I often took the laptop home so I could work there.

When we first started dating, Edward wanted me to go to his place, but after a while we only stayed in my apartment. He insisted that my place was cozier and more like a real home, while his high tech apartment was too cold and impersonal. And I of course took the bait and hereafter did my best to make him feel home.

While he was at my place he of course had to check his email once in a while, and asked to use my computer. I didn't think anything of it. I trusted him, didn't think he would look trough my notes and use the information.

But less than two weeks later, the cold reality hit me hard in the face. The deal my boss had been working so hard on went to Edwards Company. I didn't even know they were competing against my firm, on the deal, so I was really surprised.

At first I thought that the client just liked their ad better and wanted a different approach to how their product should be presented. But when the ad came out on billboards and in magazines, it was clear that there was more than just similarity between the notes I had taken and the competitor's final result. And this didn't go unnoticed by my boss. He was certain that there was a mole in the office, and he was determined to find out who that was.

I had a nagging suspicion that Edward played a part in this, but dismissed it as impossible, that he newer would to that to me. But a huge shock awaited me, when I called his office an hour later to confirm our date to a new restaurant, and got his secretary instead of him.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen's office"

"Hi Penny, its Bella, is Mr. Cullen there?"

"Hi Bella! No he's at a meeting at the moment. But, do you know, the most amazing thing has just happened! He got promoted just two hours ago! He's a leader of Creative Development now! Were moving to a new office tomorrow!"

At that point I didn't hear her anymore. Her voice was only a quiet mumbling in the background. I said a quick goodbye, and stood paralyzed beside my desk.

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had been betrayed, in more ways than I had ever expected. I had been used for the mere purpose of a promotion, and I felt like a stupid, naïve schoolgirl who just found out that the captain of the football team only dated her, on a bet. His feelings for me had never been real. All the sweet things he had said, while we had been lying in bed together had been a lie. The promises, the dreams, had all been lies. Though my heart tried to object, to tell me that he truly cared for me, I knew with out a doubt that that wasn't true. Cause which man would deliberately hurt the woman he loved? Which man would know that the course of his actions would get his girlfriend fired and dishonored, and do it anyway? I felt like I was going to throw up, and used a half hour crying on the company toilet.

I of course had no choice than to tell my boss the whole ugly truth. And he didn't take it lightly. He made it clear that I had been stupid to date one the leaders of a competitive ad firm, without thinking about the consequences. But that was of course my choice alone, and he didn't mess with who his employees dated. But I had overstepped the line, when I had let Edward use the company's laptop. No one was to use that computer than me and my boss, because of the sensitive information which was saved on it. And it was the main reason that got fired.

I cleared my desk, packed my things, and took the walk of shame.

When I came home I went straight to bed and cried for hours, before I felt into a restless sleep. I awoke some time later with someone banging loudly on my front door. I got on my wobbly feet and opened the door. And there stood Edward, the bastard himself, looking happy and blissfully unaware of all the damage he had caused. When he took in my disarrayed, messed up state of undress, and my tearstained face, he acted all worried and shit, like he didn't know why I was crying.

He asked me what was wrong, and I told him that now was not the time for him to be messing with me. He still looked baffled, so I told him that he couldn't expect that I would still see him, after the stunt he just had pulled. After he had seduced me and then gained access to my laptop, and stolen secret information on a deal my company was working on. After he had then used that information to get a promotion and in that process gotten me fired and disgraced.

He tried to explain, but I told him to shut up. That nothing he could say would make me listen to him, after the way he had used me. I coldly congratulated him on finally getting what he wanted, and then told him to stay the fuck out of my life, and slammed the door in his face, as hard as I could.

I felt exhausted as I closed the door, and headed directly for my bed. I cried for days, while I lay passively in bed and felt time stood still as I lived in a dreamlike state, still hoping to wake up and find Edward lying next to me, but repeatedly feeling the distress and the heartbreak when I didn't. I still felt that there was a part of me lying there in bed, wishing for a man and a chance for happiness that would never come. But I had to move on, and find some solutions for the mess I unwillingly had gotten myself into. I had to stop dreaming and set new goals for my life and my career. I had to move on.

I didn't see Edward after the incident at the door. He of course didn't want to let me go, when I wanted him to. Maybe the sex was too good, or he just liked hanging around my apartment, I don't know. Either way he kept calling me, calls I didn't responded too, and sent heaps of flowers. But after two weeks he stopped calling. And a month later I had moved to Chicago, to start my new life, and was finally out of his reach. Alice, my best friend from High school got me a job as an assistant on Estelle, where she was the fashion editor, and she did her best to make me feel at home.

After a while I got more distance to what happened in New York. And nine months later I regarded the whole affair as something that was a closed chapter of my life. But now he was here, and I couldn't shake the feeling that his visit to my new hometown had something to do with me, no matter how irrational this feeling was.

But what would I do if he actually was here to see me? Would I have the strength to ignore him and walk away? I couldn't deny that he still bewitched me, that I still was in a way fascinated by him, even though he was the prick that broke my heart and shattered my self-esteem. That mere few minutes was enough for me to remember his lips on my body, the way he had hold me close when we was out on our first date, how perfectly our bodies fit together when we made love. And the sadness of the fact, that all this was lost for good.

I sighed deeply. This was getting me no where. It was crazy for me to worry about meeting him again. After all I only got a glimpse of him on the freaking street, and with another woman. That should give me sufficient reason to expect, that he neither was here to pursue me again or that I had any reason to think that I would see him for more than these mere minutes.

As relived this revelation made me, it also left me sad that this really meant that I would never see him again. Because beyond the heartache, the anger and the pain, I couldn't completely deny that on some levels I still was in love with him. I just hoped that getting this glimpse of him with another woman, was what it took for me to finally get over him and move on with my life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello sweethearts, heres chapter 3. Thanks for the reviews, I'm happy to read that you are enjoying my story so far…**

**But keep the reviews coming, and maybe I will update before Monday! **

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things twilight. Prickward is mine, all mine! LOL**

Chapter 3: Long time no see...

The weekend moved on fast. Alice and Rosalie took me out for a girl's trip to a local wellness spa Saturday, sensing I could use one after the craptastic Friday I had had. They didn't ask any questions, they knew me well enough to know, that I would bring up the subject, when I was ready to talk. Trough the day, thoughts of Edward didn't slip into my mind at all. The treatments there really helped me clean my mind, and I promised my self to get an appointment next time my work was giving me a headache.

Sunday, I worked on getting into my new job so I would be as prepared as possible when I walked into the office on Monday. The workload increased when I got promoted, as could be expected by a first assistant, so I had a great deal of information to read and meetings to plan for the next weeks to come.

Fortunately my focus had been on my job the most the day, so I had little time to even think much about anything besides work. I was exhausted when I finally went to sleep and looked forward to bury myself in my new assignments in the following week. Anything was better than reliving my miserable past with Edward.

*****************

When Monday morning finally arrived, I was surprised as to how well rested I was. Apparently working like crazy meant I got a good night sleep and because I woke early, I had enough time to take my time in the shower and make myself a delicious breakfast.

I was in a good mood when I started my car and drove on my way to work. The sun was shining and spring was finally here. It had taken some time before the winter finally gave up and the warmer weather at last won the battle. In my positive state of mind, I couldn't help thinking that seeing Edward on the street last Friday, maybe was a sign from God or fate if you like, that he had moved on and so should I.

Even though it still hurt to see him with another woman, this could be the event that made me move forward and find a man who would appreciate me and love me back. I hadn't dated other men in the last year since my breakup with Edward. I neither trusted men or my own judgment for that matter, when it concerned falling in love and finding a new partner. But now I felt I could look forward to a new chapter of my life. That I could see beyond the past, to the future and all the possibilities that it held.

My drive to work went by faster than usually, as the roads were nearly empty at this time in the morning, and suddenly I was at the office building, which held the Estelle office. I drove down to the underground car park and parked my car as near to the elevator as possible. I hated when I had to go search for my car in the big, creepy car park. It reminded me too much of the thriller movies I had seen, and sent chills down my spine, even though I knew there was no real danger.

The office was nearly empty when I got off the elevator. Only the receptionist in the lobby, and a few early workers had met in. It gave me the space I needed to clear my head, while I prepared the day's meetings and assignments. I couldn't help rejoice and smile inwardly while I went on with my work.

My boss was a sweetheart. While she hadn't had any problem with being bossy and complaining if anything didn't live up to her expectations, she was also appreciative, encouraging, helpful and funny. All in all she was a fantastic boss, and deserved her job title fully. I was so glad I was transferred from Jessica's part of the office to Angela's, a half year ago.

Jessica had a problem with being appreciative or even friendly, especially towards me. While I had dealt with bosses like her in my former jobs, her anger towards me made my job hard if not impossible. And at times I felt she was sabotaging me on purpose. Angela could see that I was a hard worker, who was inhibited by my boss, and she took me under her wings, when a position as her second assistant was open. It was one of the happiest days of my life, when I got the news I was the one who got it. And now I was her first assistant.

I inwardly made a happy dance while I thought about the weeks to come. As a first assistant to Angela I had privileges that no other assistants had. I would travel with her to Paris, New York, London! I would have a say in the projects she asked me to look trough. This was going to be awesome!

Angela came into my office 5 to 8. She looked stunning as always in a coral-red D&G suit, and seemed really happy to see me.

She gave me a hug and looked me over; a worried expression came on her face, she looked like my mom did when I stayed up too late on school nights, reading books.

"Bella, you look worn out. You haven't used too much of your weekend preparing for work? I did tell you to go celebrate!" She smiled

"No, I celebrated! I went with Alice and Rosalie to club 81; it's a really great club."

"Yeah, I hear about it all the time. I like to go but haven't really had the chance lately. Between work and Ben, there hasn't been much time left to go clubbing." Angela smiled blissfully and blushed a bit. "Besides he really hate going to "chicks clubs" as he call it." She continued as she shook her head and chuckled

Ben and Angela was newly weds, really happy ones that is. They had been married for a month, and I often heard Angela sigh in pure contentment, after they came home from their honeymoon. I met Ben once when he visited her at the office; he seemed like a really nice guy.

We changed the subject to the day's events. Angela's and my calendar were packed, thanks to the meeting with Estelle Magazines ad firm. We were cooperating with the firm to launch a campaign that would outdistance our magazine from our competitors. We were going to work on this project the next two weeks, and I looked forward to take a part in it.

"So, Bella today is really important. Were meeting with Taylor Advertising, and are discussing the development of our brand. As you know we like to find a way to make our magazine stand out amongst all the other magazines, and I like you to give me your honest opinion on that subject."

I looked at her with what was clearly a stunned expression. I had expected to have a say in some small projects but not in one as massive as this. We were talking about the whole magazine here, not just a fashion reportage on which shoes was a musthave this month.

"Bella you have a brilliant mind and some really good ideas, I've learned that in the few months you been my second assistant." She gave me a warm smile, while she continued "To have you at my side in this project is really a support to me. You know the magazine really well and since you have been an assistant to a creative leader in an advertising firm, your knowledge really comes in handy."

I was still baffled that she wanted me to be involved in this project so much, and felt embarrassed about the fact that I was fired from said job, but I agreed to tell her my ideas and work with her on the project.

She smile widely, hugged me and told me we were going to be an excellent team. I really hoped I could live up to her expectations; she had believed me and cheered me on when my self-esteem was at a low point, I owed her so much.

The meeting was scheduled to be held in the big meeting room at 10 that morning, and after we had gone trough or plans for the day and the coming week, I went on to prepare for the meeting. I made sure the projector communicated with the laptop, that the wireless internet connection worked on said laptop, and thereafter went on to collect the refreshments. When I finally was done making everything ready for the meeting the time said 9.40, and I assessed that was just enough time for me, to take a trip to the ladies. One newer knew how long such meetings took, and you could be stuck in that room for hours. It was better to go and do your business when you could.

I felt giddy and excited when I walked back to the meeting room, I couldn't wait to start on the project. The room was nearly full when I walked into it, I took a seat beside Alice who looked like she soon were going to burst right out of her seat, I clearly wasn't the only one keyed up. This project had been on everyone's lips the past week, and we all looked forward to the launch of the campaign.

At 10.57 I heard Angela's voice outside the door to the meeting room, I was eager to meet the people I was going to work close together with, over the next two weeks.

Angela walked in with a smile on her lips and started talking as soon as she stood before us, at the end of the long conference table.

"As you all know, we have had a hard time braking trough at the magazine market, and it is my conviction that is because Estelle magazine are too similar to the magazines that already exist. Therefore I have summoned our advertising firm, Taylor Advertising, here to help us find a strategy that works and in addition to that, help us launch a campaign that will make us as visible as our competitors."

"Now I will present the man, who will help us along with this project."

"Everybody, please welcome - Edward Cullen and his assistant Tanya Denali"

_What the hell? _

_Is this some kind of sick joke?? _

_Oh please dear God, please let it be a joke!_

But my prayers was futile, because there he was, Edward fucking Cullen, the man I had hoped newer to meet again, my personal Hell and Heaven in one handsome package, with the blonde woman he had talked to outside the restaurant, standing at his side.

Edward eyed me the second he came into the room; it was almost as if he had been expecting to see me here. He didn't seem surprised, he seemed…smug, like he finally had me were he wanted. Maybe he had only taken this assignment to play a little with me, a little cat after the mice, since I was the one that broke our relationship. Maybe his male ego was hurt. That shouldn't surprise me, that prick.

"Hi Bella" Edward said with all the charm he could muster "Long time no see"

Everyone in the room stared at me, but I didn't care, I concentrated on putting him on ice.

"Hello Mr. Cullen" I replied back sharply with a cold smile, and hopefully made it clear that I would do nothing but business with him.

He just raised his eyebrows a bit as he welcomed the challenge, smiled warmly and greeted the rest of the group, and to my bad luck his charm worked on every single one of them, even the straight guys! Not that I could blame them entirely. I could remember my first impression of him, and to say that I was quite taken with him was an understatement.

But now I knew what lied under that charming surface, - a cold and calculated man, whose sole purpose was to promote himself, and enhance his own position in society, with no concern for the people and the life he crushed on the way to the top.

This was going to be two dreadful weeks, I longed for them to be over so I could get back to my uncomplicated life. I just had to get trough this, and then I would newer see him again, I prayed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello lovelies! **

**Here's the 4****th**** chapter.. Sorry for the delay but I had a major writer's block, and a really busy week.. **

**Let me know what you think.. **

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I own an addiction to the details photo shoot and the Beautiful Bastard.**

Chapter 4: Ready, set, run!

My heart was beating fast, pulsing blood trough my veins and rapidly making me feel dizzy and out of breath. I reached out for a bottle of water and drank till I felt the dizziness slowly fade away. Thank god, I didn't want to faint the first time I saw him again, he was smug enough as it was!

I couldn't believe that it actually was him. That mere two meters from me stood the man I had thought, dreamt and cried over this last year. He had become a distant dream, - a beautiful yet painful dream, which had frozen him in the confines of my memories. Memories I couldn't erase or escape.

But now he was here, breathing, alive, no longer a dream, no longer a figure of longing, loathing or frustration. I could walk over to him and touch him, slap him, scream and shout at him. It was all in my reach for the first time in a year. It made me feel free and at the same time bound, cause I knew I really had no where to hide if he choose to pursue me.

I would of course put him on ice and do my best to avoid him, but if his charms still worked and he put them in motion, it would be only a matter of time before my physical attraction to him, caught up with me. When we had been together, I craved him like no other man; my hunger for him was insatiable. I was intoxicated by his presence. Even now I felt the unwelcome physical pull towards him, but I choose to ignore it, knowing it would do no good.

But I really hoped he would leave me alone.

I could feel Alice's burning gaze on my neck, and I knew she desperately wanted to talk with me, but right now I neither had the strength or the ability to speak more than short sentences about the man in mention. Well and it wasn't quite the right place to talk about it either, though Alice would insist she would making it as subtle as possible. Yeah subtle my ass.. Alice's way of whispering wasn't quite known to be subtle, especially not when she repeated every two words I said, in a high pitched voice.

I turned my head her way, and caught her gaze and nodded slightly, trying to signal that I was ok but didn't want to talk right now. I gave her left arm a gentle squeeze before I turned my attention Edward who still was small talking with Angela and some of the leaders.

He hadn't changed much over the last year. He still looked too handsome for his own good. His eyes were yet a remarkable jade green, his facial features were still beautiful sculptured, everything as I remembered it; his straight nose, his perfect jaw I used to love to lick and kiss, his flawless lips that had lingered over mine only a year ago. He still to good care of his body, I could see that even though he wore a suit.

All in all he was yet the man I once knew, but there was something different about him, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it made me question his motive for being here. I already suspected that he maybe wanted a rematch with me, but he seemed more open and at ease than I remembered him to be. Or maybe he had become a better master in the art of manipulation.

Once Edward had greeted everyone and made sure that he had all the attention, he started presenting the plan for the next two weeks.

"Thank you all for the warm welcome. I and my assistant Tanya are looking forward to working with you for the next two weeks." He smiled warmly while he continued his voice still as warm and deep as I remembered, like honey and warm chocolate combined in one tasty treat.

"This is truly going to be a challenging time for all of you. To drastically change a company's brand over a short period is risky, but to change a Magazines profile is even more precarious. As you know, a magazines existence does very highly rely on its ability to attract its readers. And as your readers are mostly women in their 20'ties and 30'ties, there is even more pressure for you to visually have a brand that speaks to the women in those age groups."

"There are many other Magazines who have the same target group as you, and they have succeed because they have transformed their image trough the years. They are in tune with what are on their readers minds right now, -what movies they see, books they read, who their favorite designer is, which people they talk about, etc. "

"We have looked into which similarities your readers have."

Edward looked at his assistant and gave her a nod, signaling that she could start the slide show. At first he presented the results of the survey, making it clear what were the common interests of the readers. Hereafter he pointed out which areas weren't cowered and which could be enhanced.

"You are competing against high profile magazines, and therefore you have to think about what you can offer the readers that is different from what the other magazines are offering them right now. I want you all to rethink the way a magazine is normally made, from its cover to the fashion articles. If you want to enhance sales with more than 20 %, which is your primary goal, then you have to be edgy and go where no other magazine ever have ventured."

Edward nodded again, and a new slide came in sight, displaying examples of new covers of Estelle, all of which were edgy and different from the magazines I knew. He continued talking about the pros and cons of each and every cover, but I soon stopped listening. I was enthralled in the sight before me.

His apparent excitement to be involved in this project, made his face glow, making him, if possible even more attractive. His fingers that run smoothly trough his soft hair when one strayed before his eyes, made me remember how I used to make him hum when I ran my fingers trough it. His half crooked smile that on more than one occasion had made my resistance crumble.

Much to my dismay I couldn't help ogling him. The way he moved his body in both a relaxed and controlled way, his almost graceful gestures towards the screen, was something I had put in the back of my mind but newer quite forgotten. I remembered the way the muscles of his back flexed when he made me breakfast, the way he moved around in my kitchen looking for the right equipment, his strong legs, the sight of him in his boxers. And in that train of thought, I instantly remembered the first time I saw him naked…

_I had both been shy and excited, because at that point it had been a long time since I had been with a man, but I had never been with a man this remarkably handsome. _

_He was a beautiful sight to behold. His strong, ripped body, which fully matched his gorgeous face, made me hold my breath and made my whole body shiver in expectation. And that expectation was fully met. _

_He newer hid how much he desired me. He used every excuse, every possible moment to push me up against a wall and put his lips to mine, his excited body against my heated core, making my body hum with hunger. _

_I remembered the way his skin felt against mine, the way his fingers danced up my spine in a gentle caress, his lips on my neck, on my legs slowly traveling up to __there__… _

My body began to response to those heated memories, and soon I found myself overheated and aroused.

Bella stop! I scolded myself…

If I didn't stop thinking about those nights, I would literally combust in my seat! Not quite the best way to start a million dollar advertising project!

I grabbed a bottle of weather and took a sip.

"Bella?" I heard Angela call

I looked up and snapped out of my internal reverie.. Everyone was looking at me including Edward who had a smirk planted on his face. The heat of his gaze told me that he knew exactly what I had been daydreaming about. And apparently Angela had called my name more than once! Shit!

"Yes?" I replied with what I hoped sounded like a normal voice

Angela looked at me with a worried and puzzled expression. She wasn't used to see me be so out of touch.

"Bella, I was asking you to work closely with Mr. Cullen on this assignment. As I already have told the rest of the leaders, you have an excellent mind and an eye for details. You have actual experience with the advertising business, and your knowledge is very much needed in this project, since you also know Estelle from the inside, and can us a different view on the project." She smiled warmly and continued

"Since I have to go to Europe for the fashion weeks, I need you to report to me about the progress and implement the changes we discuss, together with the project team. I expect to be back two days before we choose the final new look of Estelle. We will of course have a weekly conference call, but I want you to handle my part of daily workload of this project. I have hired a temp to take over for your other assignments, so your hands are free to work on it full time. You will of course be supported by the leaders, but we don't expect you to lead this project, that's what we hired Mr. Cullen for. But we want you to partake in it as an important key player. Understood?"

"Yes" I said while I tried to look happy and excited. Angela was giving me a fucking big chance, and the last thing I wanted, was to look ungrateful after all she had done for me. She had no way of knowing that Edward was my ex, - an ex I wanted nothing to do with.

I looked over at a smug and bemused Edward, who looked like the cat who just ate the canary. I had been right all along. He was here to taunt me, since he didn't had his way with me the first time around. I just had to be two steps ahead of him, and I would be fine, I tried to convince myself.

I gave him a stern look which made him smile even wider. I decided to ignore him as much as humanly possible as the meeting continued.

*****

After the meeting was over I excused myself and walked straight to the ladies, and once I was there I walked over to a sink and opened for the cold water, splashing the cold heavenly drops over my overheated neck and shoulder. Once my body started cool down, my nerves kicked in and soon found my self paralyzed, gazing at myself in the mirror.

It was one thing to get a bad surprise and try to survive the difficult situation at that moment. It was a whole other thing, when it was over and you had time to think, to assess the incident. It was often at that moment that the real reaction kicked in, and in my case it was no exception.

Alice walked in not long after, and found me in that paralyzed state, and as she came nearer she met my gaze in the mirror. The look on her face shifted from puzzled to concerned, as if she was expecting a full blown panic attack. Well it was not far off…

"Bella…" Alice started; her concern for me grew as the seconds ticked by, as I didn't answer her.

"Bella! Please speak to me!" She turned me around and shook me lightly

"Alice, what am I going to do?" I asked her as soon as I snapped out of my frozen state "I can't work with him!"

"Oh Bella! So it is him, isn't it? I thought I recognized his name, but wasn't sure."

"Yes it is him! That's the bastard that made me feel worse than crap, and now he's here! I'm my fucking city, at my fucking workplace, this is just unbelievable."

"I.. I thought that last Friday was going to be the last time I would ever see him again! I was finally ready to let him go! And now this happens! Its like fate is playing chess with me, to see if I'm up for a rematch!"

"I don't want a fucking rematch; I want to move on, to get a life without him in it!"

"Bella, I understand were you're coming from, and believe me if anyone had treated me as bad as he had, I didn't want them in a six mile radius near me. But listen… He's only here for two weeks, and once thouse weeks are over you don't have to see him any more. I know its going to be hard to work so close with him, but you can survive this. You have worked so hard to get to where you are now. Don't let him take that away from you!"

"I know.. It's just... It's just that I don't know how long I can work with him, without loosing my temper or letting him get to me. He has a strange affect on me and I don't know how to resist him. I just have a bad feeling that if I let him in, just a tiny bit, then I be even more broken when he leaves. And I can't handle that Alice, I just can't!"

"Oh Bella!" my little pixie wrapped her tiny body around me and offered me comfort, only a true friend knew how to give. It worked and after a bit my panic attack was on retreat.

"Listen to me!" Alice said as she released me and looked me square in the eyes. "You are a strong headed business woman! You don't take bullshit from anyone and you sure as hell aren't going to take any from him. Its only two weeks and then he are gone, and maybe then you can really move on."

"Thank you Alice" I gave her a heartfelt hug.

"Your welcome, honey! Just promise to let me know if you need help to kick his butt. I will volunteer with pleasure." She replied and gave me a small wink with her left eye.

"Now let's get out of here…" Alice took my hand and we walked out while we laughed at the thought of Edward getting his pretty ass kicked. He would probably whine like a baby.

Just as we walked out of the bathroom I crashed with a hard male body, and landed ungracefully on my ass.

I looked up towards the man, and of course Edward was the owner of that body. My luck wasn't worth shit. Oh what the hell, it had newer worked!

Edward looked at me with a bemused expression and said the two words I newer wanted to hear again..

"Hello sweetpeaks"


End file.
